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Sixty-Sixth Congress, Third Session .... House Document No. 1021 



.3, (,(,- 

JOHN L. BURNETT 

( Late a Representative from Alabama) 

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

SIXTY-SrXTH CONGRESS 



Proceedings in the House Proceedings in the Senate 

January 25, 1920 March 2, 1921 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 




2Z--2.4> Z^^ 



WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1922 






LIBRARY OF C0NGISE3S 

MAR a 31922 



^ 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page 

Proceedings in the House 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D.D 7 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. J. Thomas Heflin, of Alabama 9 

Mr. Champ Clark, of Missouri 14 

Mr. S. Hubert Dent, jr., of Alabama 17 

Mr. Frank Clark, of Florida 19 

Mr. William B. Oliver, of Alabama 21 

Mr. Samuel M. Taylor, of Arkansas 24 

Mr. William A. Ashbrook, of Ohio 27 

Mr. Hubert D. Stephens, of Mississippi 29 

Mr. John N. Tillman, of Arkansas 32 

Mr. Riley J. Wilson, of Louisiana 35 

Mr. William B. Bankhead, of Alabama 37 

Mr. George Huddleston, of Alabama 40 

Mr. Simeon D. Fess, of Ohio 43 

Mr. Henry B. Steagall, of Alabama 45 

Mr. Halvor Steenerson, of Minnesota 51 

Mr. John McDuffie, of Alabama : 54 

Mr. Lilius B. Rainey, of Alabama 56 

Mr. Edward B. Almon, of Alabama 59 

Mr. Fred L. Blackmon, of Alabama 61 

Mr. Leonidas C. Dyer, of Missouri 63 

Proceedings in the Senate 67 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Oscar W. Underwood, of Alabama 71 

Mr. Joseph T. Robinson, of Arkansas 73 

Mr. Kenneth McKellar, of Tennessee 74 



[3] 




HON. JOHN LA3;VSON BUENETT 



DEATH OF HON. JOHN L. BURNETT 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE 



Monday, May 19, 1919. 
The Chaplain of the House of Representatives of the 
Sixty-fifth Congress, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered 
the following prayer: 

Father in Heaven, once more in the swift flight of time 
Thou hast brought us to a new Congress, now convened 
in extraordinary session by the President of the United 
States of America. 

Under the changed conditions in human events the call 
is imperative and will tax the ingenuity and statesman- 
ship of its Members. Great ai'e the problems confront- 
ing it. Questions of moment wait upon it for solution. 
Hence we pray for Thy wisdom to guide it, Thy strength 
to sustain it, Thy courage to inspire it to deliberate yet 
speedy action. 

Let Thy blessing descend upon the Speaker of this 
House and the Representatives of the people that he 
may guide with a firm and strong hand its Members 
to the highest and best solution of the great questions at 
home and abroad; that its acts may be to the best interests 
of all concerned and redound to the glory of the living 
God, our Heavenly Father. 

Since the Sixty-fifth Congress passed into history two 
of its Members who had been elected to serve in this 
Congress have been called to the larger life. Their work 
well done, strong friendships formed, their going brings 
sadness to many hearts. We pray for those who knew 
and loved them, especially their respective families, that 

[5] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

they may be comforted by the eternal hope of the immor- 
tality of the soul. This we ask in the name of Him who 
died and rose again. Amen. 

Mr. Heflin. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following reso- 
lution. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. John Lawson Burnett, a Representative from 
the State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate a copy of these resolu- 
tions to the Senate. 

The resolution was agreed to. 

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Waldorf, its enroll- 
ing clerk, announced that the Senate had passed the 
following resolution: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the 
announcement of the death of Hon. John Lawson Burnett, late 
a Representative from the State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

Mr. MoNDELL. Mr. Speaker, as a further mark of re- 
spect to the memory of the deceased Representatives, I 
move that the House do now adjourn. 

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 2 o'clock 
and 18 minutes p. m.) the House adjourned until to- 
morrow, Tuesday, May 20, 1919, at 12 o'clock noon. 



Saturday, December 20, 1919. 
Mr. Rainey of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that the House hold a session on Sunday, January 
25, 1920, for the purpose of enabling the Members to pay 

[6] 



Proceedings in the House 



tribute to the memory of the late John L. Burnett, of the 
seventh district of Alabama. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Alabama asks unani- 
mtous consent that a session of the House be held on Sun- 
day, January 25, 1920, to pay tribute of respect to the 
memory of the late Representative Burnett. Is there 
objection? 

There was no objection. 

Sunday, January 25, 1920. 
The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer : 

Father in heaven, look down from Thy throne of grace 
with kindly eyes and an approving heart, upon us, as we 
thus assemble within this historic Chamber, to pay a trib- 
ute of love and respect to two men who by dint of their 
own eif oris, inspired of Thee, left a deep impression upon 
the hearts of their countrymen and writ in characters of 
gold a history upon their State and Nation. Long may 
their memories live in our hearts and on the pages of 
history, that they may be an example to us and to those 
who shall come after us; and we will ascribe all praise to 
Thee. 

Comfort us, their colleagues and friends, their stricken 
families, with the truth that life is immortal and some 
day, somewhere, we and they shall meet again in a realm 
where love ties shall never again be severed. 

When the mists have rolled in splendor 

From the beauty of the hills. 
And the sunshine warm and tender 

Falls m kisses on the rills; 



[7] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

We may read love's shining letter 

In the rainbow of the spray; 
We shall know each other better 

When the mists have cleared away. 
We shall know as we are known, 

Never more to walk alone 
In the dawning of the morning, 

When the mists have cleared away. 

Amen. 

Mr. Heflin. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolu- 
tions which I send to the desk and ask to have read. 
The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of Hon. 
John L. Burnett, late a Member of this House from the State of 
Alabama. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career, the House, at the conclusion of the exercises of this day, 
shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
family of the deceased. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The question is on agreeing 
to the resolutions. 

The resolutions were agreed to. 

Mr. Blackmon assumed the chair as Speaker pro 
tempore. 

Mr. Heflin. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all who speak or desire to print their remarks on the life, 
character, and public services of the late Representative 
Burnett may have permission to extend their remarks in 
the Record. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Is there objection? 

There was no objection. 

[8] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Heflin, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker : Here in this Chamber where the States of 
the Union speak through their Representatives in the 
National Congress, John L. Burnett was, for more than 
20 years, an able and faithful Representative of the people 
of the seventh congressional district of Alabama, and, 
long before his splendid career here ended, he had be- 
come greatly appreciated and highly esteemed by the 
people throughout the State. Not only the people of his 
own district but the people all over Alabama were deeply 
shocked and grieved by the sad news of his death. 

His was a very noteworthy and unique career. He was 
truly a self-made man. When the war between the States 
ended he was only 11 years old — a poor boy — the eldest 
son of a widowed mother. It fell mainly to his lot to sup- 
port his mother and the younger children. In spite of the 
hardships and privations that the fortunes of war had 
placed in his way this brave and determined youth suc- 
ceeded. In the daytime he worked in the field and in coal 
mines in order to provide for those dependent upon him 
and at night he studied that he might obtain an education. 
Mr. Speaker, he told me that it was a happy day in his 
young life when by his industry and enterprise he was 
enabled to attend the common schools of Cherokee 
County. He was educated in the common schools of his 
native county and in the Wesleyan Institute at Cave 
Springs, Ga. He studied law at Vanderbilt University, and 
when 22 years of age was admitted to the practice of 
the law by the circuit court of his home county in Ala- 
bama. It was not long from that day until he was re- 
garded as one of the very best young lawyers in his sec- 
tion, and at the time he was elected to Congress he had 

[9] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

achieved the distinction of being one of the ablest and 
most successful lawyers in the State. 

Mr. Speaker, the boy surrounded by hardships and pri- 
vations can find inspiration and encouragement in the 
brilliant achievements told in the story of the life of John 
Burnett. The poor boy battling with the handicaps and 
hindrances of poverty will find help in the story of his 
successful and useful life. 

When a very young lawyer he had developed into an 
attractive speaker, an able and convincing advocate. 
Through his open, frank, and friendly manner he soon 
became exceedingly popular with the people. When 30 
years old he was elected a member of the lower house of 
the Alabama Legislature and two years later was elected 
to the State senate. He made a splendid record in both 
branches of the legislature. 

He was remarkably well equipped with the attributes of 
mind and heart necessary to make him an eifective and 
useful public servant. He was able and earnest in every 
cause that he espoused. 

Mr. Speaker, he came here as a Representative in the 
Fifty-sixth Congress, and for a little more than 20 years he 
was the able and honored Representative of the people of 
the seventh Alabama district. The good people of that 
district have in the past honored other distinguished sons 
with a seat in this body, but never in all its history has the 
district sent here a man more esteemed and loved by the 
rank and file of its people. He was democratic in his 
habits and manner. He believed in the doctrine of the 
Democratic Party and sincerely believed that the affairs 
of the Government could be more wisely administered by 
the great party to which he gave allegiance. He was an 
ardent Democrat, a strict and faithful party man. All 
during his life, in season and out, he championed the 
cause of the Democratic Party. He was a man of deep 

[10] 



Address of Mr. Heflin, of Alabama 

convictions and of strong personality, and he was truly 
a statesman in a high and useful sense. At times he was 
an aggressive, intense antagonist, but always as generous 
and forgiving in the aftermath of bitter debate as he was 
brave and fearless in the conflict. He was a man of studi- 
ous habits and of tremendous enei'gy. 

Throughout his long service here, he was known as an 
active, hard-working Member. He believed in the gospel 
of work as did Gen. Pettus, of Alabama. On one occasion 
some one asked Gen. Pettus, then 80 years of age, when 
he was going to quit work, and the grand old man replied, 
"A man should never quit work. A few years of idleness 
and he loses his health, A few years of idleness and his 
mind is gone. It takes activity to keep the mind alert 
and the body strong." John Burnett was an indefati- 
gable worker. He was an enthusiastic disciple of the 
doctrine announced by Gen. Pettus. He ate no idle bread. 
From the time he entered Congress to his death, he was 
truly a studious and hard-working Congressman. 

Mr. Speaker, ours is a representative form of govern- 
ment, the wisest and best form of government ever de- 
vised by the genius of man, and when a man is elected to 
represent his people in this great law-making body, it is 
his duty to study the questions that concern his district 
and the country and to strive to do that which will re- 
dound to the benefit of his people and the good of his 
country. And no higher expression of confidence and 
affectionate regard can come to a Member in his service 
here than that which the people themselves give through 
their votes of approval in each succeeding election. For 
20 years the people of the seventh district of Alabama 
commissioned John Burnett to represent them in the 
Congress of the United States. They delighted to honor 
him. In 11 congressional elections, they expressed with 
their votes their appreciation and love for him, and at the 

[11] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

time of his death he was strong in the esteem and affec- 
tions of his people. 

Mr. Speaker, it can be truly said of him that he loved 
and served his fellow man. He sprung from the ranks of 
a great common people and was himself a man of the 
people. He was the friend of the common man in the 
common walks of life. In his long service here, he ren- 
dered distinct and signal service to his State and Nation. 

He was one of the very first men in Congress to call 
attention to the evil and danger of allowing indiscriminate 
and unfit foreigners to be landed upon the shores of 
America, and as chairman of the Committee on Immigra- 
tion, he aroused the people of the Nation to the impor- 
tance of keeping undesirable and dangerous foreigners 
out of our country. Year in and year out he stood here 
guarding, to the day of his death, American ideals and in- 
stitutions against the influx of criminal hordes from 
foreign countries. 

He was a man of superb intellect and fluent speech, and 
whether in debate in this forum or out on the hustings, he 
was a foeman worthy of any man's steel. 

He had the courage of his convictions and was abso- 
lutely fearless in the advocacy of any cause that he 
espoused. He was a painstaking and conscientious pub- 
lic servant, and all who knew him know that he performed 
his duty as God gave him the light to see it. isij;-.!^: 

John Burnett was blessed with a bright and cheerful 
disposition, pleasing and amiable to a remarkable degree. 
All in all, he was rich in the attributes of a noble character. 

"When 32 years of age he was married to Miss Bessie 
Reeder, of Cleveland, Tenn. 

His home life was beautiful. He was fortunate in 
marrying one of the noblest and best women of his day. 
She was indeed his inspiration and helpful companion. 



[12] 



Address of Mr. Heflin, of Alabama 



She sympathized with him and assisted him in his great 
life's work. He was devoted to her and their married 
life was a beautiful and happy life. He had only one son, 
a splendid and manly young man, and he was the idol of 
his good father's heart. 

Mr. Speaker, just a few months ago the distinguished 
man, whose death we mourn to-day, was an active and in- 
fluential Member of this body. Just a little while ago he 
was participating in the debates, answering the roll calls, 
and serving as we are now in the great Congress of the 
United States. But he has made his last speech, answered 
his last roll call, and ended his career of useful service 
here. He has gone the way that we must all one day go, 
but he is not dead. He has but entered into the joys of the 
higher life, the life that awaits the faithful at the end of 
the earthly road. 1 believe that all is well with his soul. 
He was a good citizen — an able and faithful public serv- 
ant. He loved his State and contributed to its marvelous 
growth and development, and he served his country faith- 
fully and well. His death was a sad blow to his loving 
wife and son and to his friends and people, and in his 
taking off the State and country have sustained a great 
loss. 

Mr. McDuffie assumed the chair as Speaker pro 
tempore. 



[13] 



Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri 

Mr. Speaker: John L. Burnett was my personal and 
political friend. As such I will cherish his memory so 
long as life lasts. He was a capable, clear-headed, indus- 
trious Member. He was a great chairman of two impor- 
tant committees. He wrought honestly, successfully, and 
patriotically for his country and his countrymen. He was 
one of the crack debaters in the House. He was exceed- 
ingly tenacious of his opinions. Above all, he was un- 
afraid. His style of speaking was terse, luminous, nerv- 
ous. His voice had a clarion quality and reached every 
nook and cranny of this great Hall. He injected just 
enough of wit, humor, and sarcasm into his speeches to 
render them pleasant to the ear. 

He studied his subjects thoroughly and was master of 
the facts on any theme which he chose to discuss. He 
never had a sleepy audience. 

Those who have practiced public speaking to any 
considerable extent know that it is more difficult to make 
an effective short speech than a long one. The corre- 
spondent of the London Times who wrote a note to that 
ancient paper that he was sending a long letter because he 
had not the time to write a short one was a great philoso- 
pher. Mr. Burnett was particularly happy in short 
speeches, snappy, pointed, powerful. After listening for 
25 years in this Hall to every sort of speech known among 
men I give it as my critical and solemn opinion that 
Brother Burnett delivered the best short speech I ever 
heard at any time or place. Most people — ^including many 
Members — do not realize that the best debating in the 
House is under the five-minute rule, the study of which 
rule and practice under it I cheerfully and earnestly com- 

[14] 



Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri 



mend to the newer Members if they aspire to rank with 
the powerful debaters in the House. It is well worth their 
profoundest consideration. Burnett was a master of this 
most difficult species of speech making. 

In a five-minute speech you can not have an exordium 
and a peroration. You must grab the idea in the middle 
and ram into it as much language and thought as possible. 
I want now to relate a little experience which I had. The 
other night I concluded to hunt up John C. Calhoun's 
proposition to have two Presidents of the United States, 
one North and one South, nothing to be final as a law 
unless both of them signed it. So I got down Col. Ben- 
ton's Thirty Years' View, one of the most valuable books 
ever published in America, and without which no gentle- 
man's library is complete, to hunt up this Calhoun busi- 
ness. Benton talks about everything on the face of the 
earth in that book. I got to nibbling at it, and kept on 
until I ran into a chapter that I had forgotten he ever 
wrote — about the hour rule in the House. He denounced 
that as one of the most outrageous things ever committed 
in a free country. The majority of the Senate took the 
same view of it. 

There is not a man in the House who would vote to 
repeal the hour rule. If we did we would never accom- 
plish anything. Yet there was that great statesman, the 
greatest statesman the western country ever had, in con- 
junction with a majority of the Senate, denouncing it as a 
positive curb on free speech and free thought in this coun- 
try. The history of that hour rule is very brief. When 
Henry Clay broke up with John Tyler he was not a politi- 
cal boss, he was a political czar. He would get a Whig 
bill through the Senate, and they would send it here to the 
House, and Henry A. Wise, who had the most astounding 
vocabulary of all the children of men, with two or three 
others to help him, would kill Clay's bill — talk it to death. 



[15] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

Clay was one of the most imperious of mortals, and he got 
very tired of that. He came over here to the House, where 
he did not belong at all, and got the House to adopt the 
hour rule, simply to put a bit in the mouth of Henry A. 
Wise, but when he went over to the Senate, where he did 
belong, and tried to get them to adopt the rule, they turned 
up their noses at him, and they have been turning up 
their noses at such a thing ever since. 

A few years ago there was a great uproar about cloture 
in the Senate. Finally they got a cloture rule in the Sen- 
ate, and it is the most remarkable thing which was ever 
put into print. When two-thirds of the Senate petition 
the Vice President to put the question of cloture, he puts it, 
and then if they adopt it, it is put in force, but each Sena- 
tor, 96 of them, has an hour in which to discuss that same 
rule, and that amounts to 18 legislative days. I think the 
five-minute rule is the best rule on the subject of speech 
making that was ever devised by the wit of man, and there 
never was a man in this House in my time who knew bet- 
ter how to use it than Mr. Burnett. 

He rendered most valuable service as chairman of two 
great committees — Immigration and Public Buildings and 
Grounds — and was one of the most valuable Members of 
the House. 

In private intercourse he was a delightful, cheerful, 
genial, entertaining companion. He is greatiy missed 
and sincerely mourned by all who knew him. 



[16] 



Address of Mr. Dent, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker : It is always more or less painful to reflect 
upon the life of a departed friend. Yet there is some satis- 
faction in recalling the memory of past associates when 
death, which is beyond our control, has taken that friend 
away. When I speak of John L. Burnett as a friend, I 
speak with a candor that emanates direct from the heart. 
Though somewhat separated in years, our association was 
always cordial, congenial, and companionable. I have 
missed his hearty and his whole-souled greeting, and to- 
day it is difficult for me to realize that John Burnett is 
not still one of and among us. 

John L. Burnett was small of stature, but big of heart 
and brain. He had a fondness for children that was genu- 
ine and spontaneous. For his fellow man he had the ut- 
most, the kindest, consideration. It was these qualities of 
the heart that drew men to Mr. Burnett, as he came in 
contact with them in the affairs of life. He had a clear, 
clean, and conscientious intellect. He was courageous, 
physically, mentally, and in politics. 

He honorably served the State in which he was born as 
a legislator in both houses of that Commonwealth and in 
the halls of Congress. In the labors which he gave to his 
State and to the country he was always affable — a quality 
not to be scorned; he was always industrious — a quality 
never to be overlooked; and he was above all efficient — a 
quality always to be admired and respected. For 20 years 
he served the people of Alabama and the country in the 
halls of Congress with honor and distinction, gaining and 
retaining the respect and confidence of those with whom 
he was associated. 

48755—22 2 [17] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

We mourn his loss, Mr. Speaker, but console ourselves 
with the reflection that his labors have not been in vain. I 
could say more — I could say much more. I could go into 
the details of his long and honorable career, but what is 
the use? His history is made, and he leaves behind him a 
record, of which his family and his friends may well be 
proud. 



[18] 



Address of Mr. Clark, of Florida 

Mr. Speaker: When I came here as a Member of this 
House for the first time at the beginning of the Fifty- 
ninth Congress, among the men I found here who had 
already demonstrated exceptional ability stood John L. 
Burnett, of Alabama, whose passing we mourn to-day. 
I soon formed his acquaintance, and I had not served 
long in this great body before it was my good fortune 
to be placed on the same committee with him, where we 
served together for eight years. This threw me into very 
close contact and association with Mr. Burnett, and I 
learned to know him intimately and well. A goodly 
portion of the time of our service here together we lived 
in the same hotel, and I was thus permitted to know him 
well both as legislator and as man. We became close 
friends, and when the sad news of his departure reached 
me, my heart was saddened to the depths and I felt that 
I had lost more than a friend. 

Mr. Speaker, John Burnett was as careful and as con- 
scientious a legislator as it has ever been my pleasure to 
be associated with. He was constant in his attendance on 
committee meetings, and no question was too great for 
his alert and active mind to grapple with, nor was any 
question too small or insignificant for him to give it 
attention. He was as true and loyal a Democrat as ever 
graced this Hall, but in legislative matters he was first, 
last, and all the time an American patriot who never 
allowed partisanship to swerve his sound judgment. He 
loved his country as a loyal son loves his mother, and 
probably his greatest work upon this floor was his mag- 
nificent effort to protect his beloved country from the 

[19] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

flood of anarchistic aliens which threatened to engulf us. 
The greatest tribute we can pay to his memory will be 
to carry on the great work which he began and partly 
accomplished, until we shall reach the stage where no 
anarchist, bolshevist, I. W. W., or other cattle of that 
stripe, by whatever name known, will feel at home in 
America. Burnett was 100 per cent American in his 
every thought, word, and deed, and had no patience with 
hyphenated Americanism, no matter from what quarter 
of the globe it hailed, 

Mr. Burnett was not only a hard-working, conscien- 
tious legislator, but he was a safe counselor and a con- 
vincing advocate. He was not known in the House for 
his much speaking. In fact, he rarely addressed the 
House, and never did he do so unless he had something of 
importance to say. But, Mr. Speaker, I remember occa- 
sions when this House has been raised to its feet in 
approval by the convincing power of his logic. Great by 
virtue of his brain; great by virtue of his industry; great 
by virtue of his conscience; great by virtue of his patri- 
otism; great by virtue of his honesty; great by virtue of 
his humanity, Alabama, rich in her numberless great sons, 
has sent to Congress no nobler soul than John L. Burnett. 

A devoted, loving husband, a tender, affectionate father, 
an upright citizen, a faithful friend, a loyal patriot, an 
able legislator, an honest public servant, and " the noblest 
work of God " — an honest man — with his head pillowed 
upon the bosom of his beloved Alabama " he sleeps well." 



[20] 



Address of Mr. Oliver, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: In the short time allotted to Members on 
these occasions it is not possible to attempt even a brief 
review of the useful life of our beloved colleague, the 
Hon. John Lawson Burnett. 

In Congress and elsewhere he filled many positions of 
great trust and responsibility, and his conspicuous serv- 
ice has embalmed his memory in the hearts of a grateful 
people, not only in his district and native State, but in the 
Nation at large. His memory is linked for all time with 
legislation of highest import and Nation-wide in scope. 

He was essentially a leader, one who accomplished re- 
sults, and in the attainment of his objectives his record 
will disclose that he had no standard but honor, no watch- 
word but duty, no purpose but the uplift and betterment 
of mankind. As citizen, lawyer, representative in both 
houses of the Alabama Legislature, in the halls of the 
National Congress, in the home, in the church, in the circle 
of friendships, he measured up to the ideal standard, and 
when he fell asleep just before the convening of this Con- 
gress in extraordinary session, there ended a physical life 
well spent and crowned with good works and noble deeds. 

If you ask what phase of his life most impressed his 
friends, I answer — his great love, his keen interest, his 
warm sympathy for the poor and those in distress. He 
was proud of his humble birth among the hills of the good 
old county of Cherokee, and some time, let me ask, that 
you read again two remarkable speeches that he made 
early after he entered Congress. One of them will unfold 
to you his high devotion to his people — his broad hu- 
manity — qualities always present and so noticeable in his 

[21] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

public and private life; the other will unfold his remark- 
able ability as a lawyer and his broad vision as a states- 
man. I quote the introductory of his first speech, made 
on December 14, 1899, just 10 days after he took the oath 
of office : 

I come fresh from the hands of the mountaineers of north Ala- 
bama, among whom I first saw God's sunlight, among whom I first 
breathed the pure mountain air, and with it inhaled the very in- 
spiration of liberty itself. Among these people I first learned to 
hate tyranny and to despise the tyrant, whether it came in the 
form of some despot himself or that of despotic influence and 
interests, which step by step sap the lifeblood of freedom and 
bind her votaries hand and foot. 

*••*♦•* 

In the cabins and in the cottages upon the mountain tops and 
in the valleys of my native heath lives the yeoman, surrounded 
by his toil-worn wife and his little flock. God grant that no act 
or vote of mine may ever add to the burdens which they now 
bear, and that in every word I utter and every vote I cast, while 
I stand as their Representative upon this floor, I may have no 
higher motive and no loftier aim than to promote their best in- 
terest and alleviate their condition. Then, when I return to my 
home, I can look them in the face and say of a truth " Thy people 
are my people, thy country is my country, thy God is my God." 

He passed away with the blessed consciousness that he 
had lived up to this high concept of duty to his constitu- 
ency. The loss of a friend like this can but serve to 
deepen the views of life of those of us who remain, and 
make us feel that we would not always be here. It is the 
great argument for immortality. For we can not believe 
that the living, loving soul of John Burnett has ceased to 
be. We can not believe that all those treasures of mind 
and heart are squandered in emptj' air. We will not 
believe it, and when once we understand the meaning of 
the spiritual, we see the absolute certainty of eternal life. 
We need no argument for the persistence of being. To 
appear for a little time and then vanish away is the out- 

[22] 



Address of Mr. Oliver, of Alabama 



ward biography of all men — a circle of smoke that breaks, 
a bubble on the stream that bursts, a spark put out by a 
breath. But there is another biography, a deeper and a 
permanent one, the biography of a soul. Everything that 
appears vanishes away — that is its fate — the fate of the 
everlasting hills — as well as of the vapor that caps them. 

But that which does not appear is the only reality, it is 
eternal and passeth not away. So beneath the life of 
John Burnett, which has vanished away, there is a vital 
thing, the spirit. We can not locate it and put our finger 
on it, and that is why it is permanent. So friendship 
does not lose by a death like this. It lays up treasures 
in Heaven, and leaves the very earth a sacred place, made 
happy by holy memories. " The ruins of time build man- 
sions in eternity." 

We do not ask to forget, we do not want the so-called 
consolation which Time brings; we would rather that the 
wound should ever be fresh than that the image of a friend 
like him should fade. He has simply joined the choir 
invisible. 

Of those immortal dead who live again 

In minds made better by their presence; live 

In pulses stirred to generosity, 

In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn 

For miserable aims that end with self, 

In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, 

And with their mild persistence urge man's search 

To vaster issues. 



[23] 



Address of Mr. Taylor, of Arkansas 

Mr. Speaker: The honorable gentlemen from Alabama 
who have just spoken have told us of the life and career of 
Judge Burnett in his State and here. I only knew him as 
a Member of this House. I first met Mr. Burnett early in 
the year 1913. From the very beginning of our acquaint- 
ance a warm friendship seemed to spring up between us. 
He had learned that my mother was born and reared in 
north Alabama, and this fact seemed to draw him closer to 
me. He was a devoted son of his State, loved her people, 
and was proud of her history. Judge Burnett was a man 
of splendid ability, and without the trappings of wealth or 
aid of a great family name he plunged into the vortex of 
popular rights and made for himself a name which 
reached beyond the borders of his State. Among the great 
and learned he did not claim to be supreme, but among 
his people, I am told, he was a conquering power and was 
loved and admired. He rose, so to speak, from obscurity 
to the heights of renown and died on the crest of popular 
esteem. His rise was not meteoric, but steady and sure. 
He reached the sun-clad heights of his ambition and passed 
away with the illumination undimmed and left his coun- 
trymen the record of his splendid life work. He was de- 
voted to his family, his countrj', his political party, and his 
district which had so often honored him. He loved his 
fellow man. For poise of mind, eloquence, and concen- 
tration of thought he had few equals in the House. He 
was always manly and kind in debate and spoke directly 
to the question at issue. 

For two or three sessions Mr. Burnett and myself 
boarded at the same hotel in Washington, and with him 
there I learned much of his inner soul. He was a great 

[24] 



Address of Mr. Taylor, of Arkansas 

lover of children. When you find one, Mr. Speaker, who 
takes notice of and loves children you can mark him every 
time as being worthy of your friendship and admiration. 
One of the joys of Judge Burnett on winter nights was to 
congregate the children at the hotel and tell them Ala- 
bama and other southern stories of the " Uncle Remus " 
sort, and teach them to sing old-time songs with him. At 
these gatherings I often looked on with delight at the glad- 
some and wondering eyes and faces of these little people 
as they stood encircled around the knee of Judge Burnett, 
who to them was a big man, and they were right. I often 
thought while looking on how beautiful and loving it was 
to see a statesman in Congress forget for the time matters 
of national concern and legislation that he might con- 
tribute with his whole soul toward cheering and making 
happy children assembled about him from many sections 
of this country. He may be forgotten by some, but these 
little ones will lovingly remember him through life. 

I never saw Judge Burnett manifest gloominess or 
become morose, but, on the contrary, in greeting his 
friends and fellow Members he was always cheerful and 
buoyant. Oh, Mr. Speaker, if the world was filled with 
John Burnetts it would be a happier and grander world 
within which to live. "When a giant carrying easily the 
loads of life in the fullness of his strength falls dumb and 
prostrate on the earth, heart stricken by the darts of 
death, we, his surviving friends, gather in confused agony 
around his unbreathing form and unavailing tears spring 
unbidden to the surface and baptize with sorrow's sacred 
streams the pale countenances of those who loved him 
while he lived. How utterly powerless, Mr. Speaker, do 
we feel in death's mysterious presence. 

While acting on the stage of life down in Alabama the 
grim messenger with the inverted torch appeared and 
beckoned Mr. Burnett to depart, and when he passed 

[25] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

from this life into the door of " forever — forever " — 
those who knew and loved him turned with heavy hearts 
to one another, and with weeping eyes hoped for him 
that— 

Somewhere the sun is shining, 
Somewhere the angels wait, 
Somewhere the clouds are rifted 
Close to an open gate. 



[26] 



Address of Mr. Ashbrook, of Ohio 

Mr. Speaker: I received no special invitation to speak 
to-day, but I would like to add just a word of tribute to the 
memory of my good friend, for whom these services are 
held to-day. When I first came to Congress, 13 years ago, 
I felt in as great need of friends and a kindly word of 
advice and encouragement as anyone who ever sat in this 
Chamber. There were a few of the older Members who 
manifested some interest in me, and I shall never cease to 
feel indebted to them. Among this limited number who 
won my lasting gratitude was our dead friend whose life 
and character we to-day eulogize. And may I say that 1 
have since endeavored, as best I could, to pass on their 
good deeds by lending a helping hand to the new Member. 

I recall that Congressman Burnett was a member of the 
Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds and on the 
subcommittee which included my State in the Sixtieth 
Congress, my advent here. I was quite anxious to have 
an item in the omnibus bill for that Congress. Mr. Bur- 
nett heard me patiently and sympathetically and reported 
favorably on my proposition to the full committee and it 
was accepted. "When the bill was reported to the House, 
however, my item was not in it. I learned a political 
adversary from my district came down to Washington 
and overnight put the skids under my bill. I informed 
my friend. Then did the shortest man in stature in the 
House rise in height in my eyes and estimation until he 
seemed to tower above our old friend Cy SuUoway, of 
New Hampshire, who was the tallest man in the House, 
and who, too, has since passed on. He boldly called to 
the attention of the chairman of the committee on this 



[27] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

floor the mean trick served me and succeeded in getting 
my item back in the bill. 

From that day on I was a fast friend of John L. Burnett, 
As our acquaintance aged my admiration for him greyi 
until I looked upon him as one of my best friends here. 
I lived at the same hotel with our departed friend for a 
number of years. I knew him intimately and well. If he 
had any enemies here I did not know it, nor do I know why 
he should have, for he was one of the most lovable men I 
ever knew. 

Congressman Burnett's activities in immigration legis- 
lation made his name almost a household word all over 
our country and the world. The Burnett Immigration 
Law is a lasting monument to his memory. He was a 
ready, forceful debater. Few men could acquit them- 
selves on their feet as well. He was honest, conscientious, 
square, and fair, and commanded respect and admiration 
alike on both sides of the aisle. For over 20 years he 
served his district and country faithfully and well. Sud- 
denly, and with little warning, in the midst of his useful- 
ness, he fell like an autumn leaf, and I doubt not when 
his soul appeared, naked and alone, before the Great 
White Throne, that he heard the welcome words from the 
Just Judge, " Well done, good and faithful servant, enter 
thou into the joys of thy Lord." 



[28] 



Address of Mr. Stephens, of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker: John Lawson Burnett and I were inti- 
mate friends. We spent many pleasant hours together 
and I desire to pay tribute to his memory. 

He was a high type of American citizenship, believing 
in the principles which the fathers handed down in insti- 
tutions in which are centered our happiness, security, and 

destiny. 

His idea of good government was one moralized and 
spiritualized with the principles of liberty, equality, jus- 
tice, and opportunity, regulated by righteous law and in- 
spired by a righteous people. 

He believed that private virtue and public morality are 
the essential foundations of good government; and that 
the future of the Republic depends upon the personal and 
political ideals of the people. He had faith in private 
virtue, commercial honesty, the energy of law and politi- 
cal honor— faith in their strength to give vitality and 
length of days to the Nation. 

He knew that history teaches that mental power and 
moral principle must journey forward side by side; that 
the glory of a nation's life is in its character and man- 
hood; and that the only way to develop civilization on the 
outside is to develop it on the inside. 

He traveled the highway of life a friend of education, an 
advocate of the higher virtues, an ardent lover of the insti- 
tutions of his country, never following after false pohtical 
gods and never turning aside to the eccentric, the abnor- 
mal, the low, the base. 

[29] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

Believing in these principles, being inspired by the 
highest patriotism, he was a leader in the fight to restrict 
foreign immigration; and he left, as an everlasting legis- 
lative and political monument to his memory, the Burnett 
immigration bill. 

Those who heard him can never forget with what in- 
tensity and eloquence he pleaded for the passage of that 
bill, for the protection of the institutions of the Republic 
against the invasion of aliens whose presence would con- 
stitute such a menace to all that we have been taught to 
revere and hold sacred. 

Courage is one of the lordly virtues. Great souls are 
brave souls. That John Burnett possessed courage of the 
highest order no one will deny. He never measured his 
duty by the applause of the hour. No threatened un- 
popularity of his views ever caused him to withhold their 
expression when it was his duty to speak. No " word well 
smoothen " ever fell from liis lips in order that he might 
curry favor. 

Some men can stand erect only when wedged in a 
crowd. It was not true with him. He was willing to stand 
alone, supported only by his own approving conscience. 

His courage, his ability, his eloquence gave strength to 
any cause he advocated; and these qualities made him a 
dangerous antagonist. When he believed that chastise- 
ment was merited by an opponent he did not hesitate to 
administer it, and he knew how to use the lash and make 
it cut deep. 

He was acquainted with the common sorrows of man- 
kind, and so, in joy and grief, he was prepared to enter 
sympathetically into the conditions surrounding his fel- 
low men. He had all the primary affections, the noble 
passions, the sweet emotions that make the true man. ii 



[30] 



Address of Mr. Stephens, of Mississippi 

Knowing him as I did, I am confident that he had 
learned the " Great Lessons " so beautifully phrased by 
the poet: 

So did I learn 

The first great lessons: mark ye them, my sons, 

Obedience is nobility; and meek 

Humility is glory; self alone 

Is base, and pride is pain; patience is power; 

Beneficence is bliss. 



[31] 



Address of Mr. Tillman, of Arkansas 

Mr. Speaker: For a time the Burnett family and my 
own lived at the same hotel in Washington, and during 
this period I imjiroved the opportunity to acquire an inti- 
mate knowledge of the softer side of the Congressman's 
nature. His heart was as gentle as a woman's. His hand 
was ever open and ready for generous deeds. He loved 
children, and organized a club of little folks, and under 
his guidance this club had weekly meetings, at which its 
members sang songs, told stories, gave readings, and 
rendered programs consisting of a wide variety of literary 
exercises. These children loved Mr. Burnett and he 
loved them. It is a delightful habit of a strong nature 
like his to unbend now and then, to forget the affairs of 
state, to revel unselfishly in the innocent pleasures of little 
people, to teach them, and to train them, as he did, for a 
useful future. Not one of these tots, now that this man is 
gone, but will remember the kindly touch of his vanished 
hand; not one will forget the cheerful sound of his pleasing 
voice now stilled by death. 

The dead statesman was dwarfish in stature, but he had 
the soul of an eagle and the heart of a lion. He was active 
on the floor of the House, and instead of avoiding debate 
he rather courted controversy. In truth he was strong in 
argument, was a tireless worker, and loved a fight. This 
David with sling and pebbles never shirked an encounter 
with any Goliath of Gath who challenged him to combat 
in the forum or on the hustings, and usually the fight 
terminated as did the one described in First Samuel XVII 
between the handsome shepherd lad, David, the son of 

[32] 



Address of Mr. Tillman, of Arkansas 

Jesse, and the bulky Philistine measuring six cubits and a 
span in height. 

Our friend told me that when he was first elected to 
Congress he expected to remain here but a short time, yet 
he was elected 11 times, served for 20 years, and died in 
harness. He stated also that he never failed to have oppo- 
sition, and this fact accounted in a large m^easure for his 
long service. His combative disposition asserted itself 
here again. He often affirmed that if he could be elected 
one time without opposition that he would retire from the 
House to private life. He looked forward with keen pleas- 
ure to the time when he could retire and spend the evening 
of his days in peace and quietude. Like most of us he 
was beginning to tire of the lure of political life with its 
noisy phantoms, its paper crowns, and its tinsel gilt. 

John Lawson Burnett was born at Cedar Bluff, Chero- 
kee County, Ala., January 20, 1854. He lived, died, and 
was buried in the great Commonwealth that gave him to 
the country. And he so lived that Alabama, his mother, 
thrilled with pride when sorrowing friends placed his 
sturdy little body to sleep forever in her braye and gener- 
ous soil. Alabama, glittering jewel of the old South; rich, 
flashing, glorious gem of the new South ! Alabama is the 
calla lily of the South, a land of orchard and grain, a land 
of cotton and corn, a land of mines and factories, a land 
of hazy Indian summers, a land of gorgeous sunsets — and 
the moon sails through the blue seas of her glorious nights 
like a ship of pearl. Alabama, a land of enchantment and 
variety, here a stately country home, there a big plantation 
with its broad fat acres laughing forth a harvest of good 
things. The mocking bird sings until midnight among her 
purple apple blossoms. Here the tall and fragrant pine, 
there the cedar, dusk and dim; here the virile oak, there 
the branching elm; here the stately mountain range, there 
a lake of silver; here by the roadside a bubbling spring 

48755—21 3 [33] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

ever holding up its pouting lips to be kissed by the thirsty 
traveler, there the model farm where 

We hear tinkling in the clover dells, 
The twilight sound of cattle bells. 

Alabama has given to the country a thousand patriots 
and a thousand great men, and she gave to this generation 
John Lawson Burnett, clean, brave, manly, possessed of 
a chaste honor that felt a stain like a wound, possessed of 
the unpurchasable graces of life and character, such as 
sterling honesty, spotless purity of soul and conduct. We 
need more of the fine audacity of honest deed, more of the 
homely old integrity of soul such as he had and cultivated. 

Mr. Burnett died suddenly and without warning, but he 
was prepared for death and did not fear it. This was his 
creed: 

I do not fear to tread the path that those I love have long since 

trod, 
I do not fear to pass the gates and stand before the living God. 
In this world's fight I've done my part and God is God, He knows 

it well. 

John Lawson Burnett wore the white flower of a blame- 
less life. His conscience was his king. A long good night 
to this rare spirit. 



[34] 



Address of Mr. Wilson, of Louisiana 

Mr. Speaker: When I first came to Congress I was 
placed upon the Committee on Immigration, of which 
the late Judge John L. Burnett was chairman, and dur- 
ing my service on that committee became intimately 
acquainted with his fine qualities as a man and his 
marked abilities as a statesman. The passage of the 
Burnett immigration bill was the crowning achievement 
of his legislative career, and the most conspicuous accom- 
plishment of his long public service. 

The history of that legislation is somewhat unique in 
the proceedings of Congress. Beginning with the veto 
by President Cleveland, in 1896, for more than 20 years 
one of the storm centers of congressional debate and ac- 
tion, in party platforms, and in national campaigns was 
the literacy test as applied to immigration, the principle 
of which was to make our immigration selective and as 
finally adopted in the Burnett bill. The final passage 
over the veto of the President, in 1916, of this bill, which 
had received the approval and indorsement of both 
branches of Congress on six separate occasions in a 
period of 20 years, and halted by the vetoes of three 
Presidents of the United States, is a striking instance of 
the triumph of public opinion in America as reflected in 
the Congress. 

The brilliant and eff"ective work of John L. Burnett in 
connection with this measure won for him a fame that 
was national and a reputation that was international. 
During the consideration of this and other problems 
assigned to us the committee was often astonished at 
the complete grasp of every phase of the immigration 
question shown by Chairman Burnett, and the scope 

[35] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

and exactness of his information relating thereto. In 
my opinion the final passage of this bill over the last 
presidential veto was due largely to his fine leadership 
and superb ability. 

Judge Burnett was a man who attracted in close attach- 
ment and esteem those who knew him intimately. He 
was always frank, open, and abovehoard about every- 
thing, courteous and kindly in speech and action. He was 
a man of courage and independence, and had the for- 
tunate quality of being able to bring all his fine intel- 
lectual powers into action instantly upon every question 
which he chose to champion. This made him a ready 
and effective debater upon this floor. He enjoyed the 
respect, esteem, and confidence of the Members on both 
sides of this Chamber. In his death his State, the Con- 
gress, and the country sustained an immeasurable loss. 

Shortly before he returned to his home the members 
of the Committee on Immigration, of which he had been 
the honored chairman, and upon his retirement from that 
position, presented him a token of their love and esteem, 
and in his parting words, mingled with tears, he left an 
impression which will never be forgotten by the members 
of that committee, who admired and loved him. 

As a friend who has been intimately associated with 
him I deem it a great privilege to add my humble tribute 
to his memory, which wo all honor and revere. 



[36] 



Address of Mr. Bankhead, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: It is a mournful but nevertheless a tender 
privilege to speak a few words of eulogy in memory of 
the admirable character and accomplishments of our 
late colleague and comrade in service, John L. Burnett. 
Knowing as I believe I did the absolute sincerity of the 
man — his abomination of sham and pretense — any at- 
tempt at fulsome praise of his talents or his services on 
this occasion would be repugnant to my conception of the 
words he would have us say. 

Although Mr. Burnett had been a conspicuous public 
man in Alabama for many years, it was not my good for- 
tune to know him intimately until I began my service in 
the Sixty-fifth Congress. Two of the counties of his old 
district now are a part of mine, and being my geographi- 
cal neighbor as well as the dean of the Alabama delega- 
tion when I began my service here, I naturally sought 
and always secured his counsel, advice, and unreserved 
admonition. 

It was not a formal, perfunctory, superior kind of in- 
terest he took in me, but genuine, sincere, disinterested, 
helpful. It was characteristic of the man — a helping hand 
extended to another who needed it. 

I shall not attempt any biographical reference to our de- 
parted friend. That duty has been admirably and fully 
accomplished by my colleagues who have already spoken. 

If I should be asked to designate the outstanding char- 
acteristic of this man's make-up, the immediate response 
would be " Courage of conviction." He did not rush to a 
conclusion upon grave public questions. He always 
wanted to know the facts, he desired to hear the argu- 
ment, he sought a just and logical conclusion, and when 

[37] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

he reached a conclusion convincing to himself he de- 
clared it, and fought for it to the end. 

He was not only courageous in conviction, but he was 
preeminently combative to sustain his conception of the 
right position. He did not believe in the soft and vacillat- 
ing methods of attack or defense. He despised ambush 
warfare. For him the open field and the onslaught direct. 
He believed in giving hard blows. He knew equally well 
how to take them. 

That was his method on the hustings, and his method 
here. He seemed to glory in drawing the fire of an ad- 
versary because he had the consciousness that he could 
always return it " in full measure and running over." 

I heard Speaker Champ Clark once say that he regarded 
John L. Burnett as the best " rough and tumble " debater 
on either side of the House of Representatives. 

While the people of his district and State loved and ad- 
mired our lamented colleague, he did not belong to them 
alone. He was a servant of a larger constituency — the 
whole American Republic! He was recognized as the 
highest authority here on the great problems of immigra- 
tion and naturalization in his lifetime, and now of para- 
mount importance. He stood for the doctrine "America 
for Americans," and his earnest and invaluable efforts for 
a decent restriction of undesirable immigration not only 
have been transcribed into our statutes but go marching 
on in the quickened and awakened consciousness of mil- 
lions of Americans of the menace of the unassimilated 
mob. His death was not therefore a local or sectional loss 
alone, for this Nation suffered a blow when John Burnett 
died. 

It is no small thing for any man to be elected once to 
the House of Representatives. It is a position of honor 
and high responsibility. But when a man comes here for 
20 years in succession, despite the enemies he makes in 

[Ml 



Address of Mr. Bankhead, of Alabama 

politics, despite the disappointments of opposing ambi- 
tions, despite the errors of judgment he may make, and 
dies in harness still serving his people, that man has 
achieved a great career. And when coupled to that long 
tenure is the record of a high position with his colleagues, 
the unstinted respect and confidence of his political ad- 
versaries, and the knowledge of those who survive him 
that he rendered conspicuous and outstanding service to 
his country, and who passes away " surrounded by the 
proud and affectionate solicitude of a great constituency," 
has indeed left to his family and friends a career to be 
admired and cherished forever. 
Friend, neighbor, comrade, rest well. 



[39] 



Address of Mr. Huddleston, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker : I can not refrain from adding my tribute 
to the memory of our departed friend. 

When I first entered Congress Mr. Burnett was the dean 
of the Alabama delegation, the senior in point of service 
among the Alabama members. As was proper, I showed 
him the respect and confidence due a senior by conferring 
with him frequently about matters touching our delega- 
tion and the interests of our section and State. He gave 
me his counsel patiently and kindly. I went into his office 
one morning and playfully hailed him as " Daddy," be- 
cause of his seniority in service, and he in the same spirit 
replied by calling me " Son." After that he was always 
to me " Daddy " and I was always to him " Son." 

I saluted him in that way the last time we met, which 
was only two days before his death. He had recently 
come through a trying political campaign. He showed 
the marks of it. Though apparently in good health there 
was something about him upon second look that indicated 
that the strenuous contest through which he had come 
had left its impression upon him, had wearied him more 
than the usual campaign. Two days later I heard of his 
death. 

I went to his funeral. It was attended by thousands. 
People had gathered from all over his district, a large 
and rugged district, to pay him their final respect. Many 
of those present were not men who ordinarily attend such 
occasions. They were chiefly of the people. Many of 
them were common men, who did not have fine clothes, 
men with hard hands and with the marks of toil upon 
them. 



[40] 



Address of Mr. Huddleston, of Alabama 

The friend of poor and humble men had gone. They 
stood about with tears in their eyes. It was a tribute such 
as is rarely paid to the memory of any man. It is such as 
I would like to have when my time comes to go. 

John L. Burnett was born in Cherokee County, Ala., in 
the seventh congressional district, which he had the honor 
to represent in the House for over 20 years. He lived all 
his life in that district and died there. His district at the 
end was composed of the counties of Blount, Cherokee, 
Cullman, Dekalb, Etowah, Marshall, and St. Clair. There 
is a small citj' in the district, Gadsden, in which he lived 
in his later years. In that city there are a few who do not 
have their origin in that section, and there is occasionally 
one who was born overseas. 

In the county of Cullman there is a small old-time 
colony of German settlers, of which there remains per- 
haps three or four hundred who were born overseas. 
Aside from these the seventh district is composed wholly 
of what might be called " old-fashioned Americans," that 
is, people of old British stock, whose ancestors came to 
this country so long ago that they have lost track of when 
they came, whose ancestors were the hardy pioneers who 
carved this Republic out of its original virgin wilderness. 

No finer people live in Amei-ica than those of the 
seventh congressional district of Alabama. If there are 
any real Americans, these are they. They are hospitable, 
intelligent, alert, patriotic, brave, but above all, liberty- 
loving. They are not strongly partisan in the political 
sense. Politically, the district may be said to be inde- 
pendent in a large respect. The elections are always close. 
The opposition is not so much partisan as it is inde- 
pendent. It is a division of opinion, a real opposition. 

Representing this people, John L. Burnett came to Con- 
gress for over 20 years— worthily representing them, truly 
and accurately representing them — representing them at 

[41] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

their best, at their noblest, at their highest. That they 
loved him, that they honored him, was meet. He was one 
of them, he loved them, he understood them, and no noble 
impulse they felt but he responded to; his heart beat in 
answer to their every aspiration. 

We honor ourselves in honoring the memory of this 
good man. 



[42] 



Address of Mr. Fess, of Ohio 

Mr. Speaker : I want to add my tribute to the memory of 
Mr. Burnett. With the rest of you I do not believe that 
any man can be more deeply stirred than by an apprecia- 
tive sentiment in honor of a really good man. I have 
listened to the encomiums that have been paid, and I know 
that they are not formal — they are every one heartfelt and 
spontaneous. They are tributes that are gladly paid, and 
most certainly warranted by the type of life of the man to 
whom they are paid. Mr. Burnett was one of the first 
men who attracted my attention when I came to the House. 
It was largely by his manner of presenting a case from the 
floor of the House, his character in debate, that my atten- 
tion was attracted to him. 

Some men, when they arise, will drive you from their 
position, but Mr. Burnett was a man who was convincing. 
He compelled the reason, and although you might not 
agree with him, you always respected him. However 
much he was appreciated on the side of the aisle where he 
always sat, I do not think he was more greatly appreciated 
there than he was on this side of the aisle. I noticed him 
in the manner of the presentation of the immigration bill. 
I was in entire sympathy with his position. There were 
others on both sides of the aisle very pronounced against 
his position. At times in the running debate it would ap- 
pear to me that the opposition was quite powerful and 
sometimes was winning the debate, but that fear always 
was allayed whenever Mr. Burnett took the floor to clean 
up matters. He was more than an advocate. He was an 
expositor, and when he spoke he always added informa- 
tion. He was one of the men the House was always glad 
to see arise to address it. 

[43] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

I want to pay this brief tribute to him as a man who 
never was found fault with by the RepubUcan side because 
he was a Democrat. He was always more than a party 
man. There are those who speak on political lines who 
always command respect from those who differ with them, 
because thej^ are beyond mere partisan advocates. Mr. 
Burnett was from the sunny South, and yet his impulses 
and passions were for the whole Nation. 

I rise on the Republican side of the aisle to speak my 
tribute to the memory of this beloved colleague. Atten- 
tion has been called to that quality of his which was so 
wonderfully displayed about the hotel where he resided 
with respect to children. That was the feature about him 
that seemed to impress me more than anything I have 
known in the life of this good man. I lived at the hotel 
with him for quite a while, and Saturday night was always 
a gala night with the children of the hotel. They were to 
be found in one room, and Mr. Burnett was the center of 
attraction and was directing their activities. From Satur- 
day night to the next Saturday night they were planning, 
and would go through the dining room and speak to indi- 
vidual members — " Come to our entertainment Saturday 
night." I want to indorse what one gentleman has said, 
that if a man, no matter how lofty his position, will always 
hold himself ready to sympathize with the interests of 
childhood, he will write upon his career the word " great." 
I deem it a privilege to add this word of tribute to a man 
who proved himself a real friend, a valuable citizen, and a 
power for right ideals in public life. 



[44] 



Address of Mr. Steagall, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: We have met to-day to acknowledge the 
universal and inevitable sway of death. Since the time 
sin entered the Garden the shadow of death has dark- 
ened the pathway of man. It knows no class and favors 
no clime. It is a penalty that must be paid alike by prince 
and pauper. To-day the stern monarch invades the hut 
of the humble and poor to put an end to misery and want 
and woe; to-morrow he walks with dauntless tread up the 
stony pathway to the gilded mansion and hushes forever 
the revelry of the rich. By one stroke he removes the 
derelict, whose departure disturbs not nor hurts the wel- 
fare of humanity; by another he closes a great career at 
the hour of its highest honor and opportunity. 

When John Lawson Burnett passed away there came to 
its end on this earth a life which all the way from child- 
hood to its close was spent in useful toil and noble service. 
We can not understand why he should be called from 
among us in the hour of his greatest usefulness, when his 
rare ability and ripe experience are most needed by his 
fellows. Such a decree of Providence can not be fath- 
omed by human wisdom. 

When Mr. Burnett was a child 4 years old his father 
died, leaving the widow and three small boys, poor and 
unaided, to take up the battle of life. In early boyhood 
Mr. Burnett began to contribute to the support of the 
family. He worked on the farm and as a miner and 
studied at night under the instruction of his mother. 
She was a woman of education and culture, and began 
early the cultivation and training of the son, which in 
large part formed the foundation for his career. When 
he entered the common schools he divided his time be- 
tween his work and his educational pursuits. 

[45] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

During this period of trial he was in constant contact 
with the stern realities of life, developing a common- 
sense understanding of affairs and an attachment to the 
plain people. When he had made sufficient progress to 
enable him to secure a position as teacher he taught and 
attended school alternately. Finally, by his own efforts 
and at his own expense he took a course of law at Van- 
derbilt University. The habits of industry formed in 
boyhood characterized his course as a student of law 
both before and after his admission to the bar. In the 
practice of his profession, as before, obstacles encoun- 
tered were met with a determination and purpose that 
only brought development and progress. As a lawyer 
his growth was steady and continual. He achieved no 
sudden nor unsubstantial successes. Every step forward 
was reached by patient toil and earnest effort, to be 
followed always by further progress. 

The heights by great men reached and kept 
Were not attained by single flight, 
But they while their companions slept 
Were toiling upward in the night. 

From the time of his admission to the bar to his elec- 
tion to Congress his growth was without interruption. He 
was industi'ious, high-minded, conscientious, and held a 
high place in the front ranks of the laAvyers of his State. 

His first political activity was as a member of the House 
of Representatives of Alabama, in which position he 
served one term, taking high rank among the members of 
that body. Some years later he was nominated when not 
a candidate and elected State senator from his senatorial 
district. Again, he soon won an enviable place in the 
highest legislative body of his State, serving with marked 
credit to himself and to his constituents. Mr. Burnett was 



[46] 



Address of Mr. Steagall, of Alabama 

always modest and unpretentious. He never made the 
mistake, loo common among men, of taking himself too 
seriously. He seemed never to think of the things he had 
accomplished, but was always seeking opportunity for 
some new service. He was ever ready to meet responsi- 
bilities that arose, never lacking the courage to follow 
where duty and conviction pointed the way. He was a 
brave and stubborn fighter, yet always considerate of 
others, maintaining a moderation and modesty that com- 
manded admiration. 

An incident typical of his character occurred in the con- 
vention in which he was first nominated as the candidate 
of his party for Congress. Several names were before the 
convention, but he was not a candidate when first pre- 
sented for the nomination. It was well understood that 
the nominee would have a stubborn contest that would be 
hard to win. Mr. Burnett was a delegate in the conven- 
tion, and when his name was offered arose immediately 
and insisted that a stronger man might be found to lead 
his party. But his protest only served to deepen the im- 
pression that he possessed the qualities and attainments 
essential to successful leadership. He was nominated, and 
accepted the mandate of his party and won a triumphant 
victory. He established himself in the confidence of his 
people in a way that for 20 years made him invincible in 
a district torn by partisan strife seldom surpassed in any 
congressional district in the Union. He was a man of 
strong convictions and without fear in following them. 
He was not the type of politician to follow the line of least 
resistance. His sense of duty constituted his guide. Such 
a man was, of course, bound to meet with opposition, but 
he soon established a reputation for courage and common 
honesty which many times commanded the support even 
of those who did not agree with him. 



[47] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

During all the changing issues and vicissitudes of his 20 
years' service in Congress liis hold upon the confidence of 
his constituents was unbroken and the people of the 
entire State of Alabama regarded him as one of their 
ablest and most valuable public servants. There had been 
for years before his death a desire throughout the Slate 
that he should become a candidate for governor, but his 
work in Congress was too important and the need for his 
service too unceasing for him ever to turn loose. 

I have known no Member of the House more suited to 
service here, no one of deeper devotion to the interests of 
the masses, no one who possessed in higher degree the 
courage needed in this body. I shall never forget a con- 
versation had with him when the war resolution was 
pending. No one knew better than he that the reso- 
lution would be adopted and that the feeling and excite- 
ment to follow would be productive of great resentment 
against those who saw fit to oppose the passage of the reso- 
lution. But he believed that the honor and welfare of the 
Nation could best be protected and promoted by declin- 
ing to enter the horrible conflict, and, so believing, he 
voted against the passage of the resolution. I voted with 
the majority of the House, but I have always honored him 
for his courageous course. No Member of this House was 
more loyal than he to the cause of the Allies in the strug- 
gle to beat back the invading hordes of the German mili- 
tary machine and save the civilization of the world. 

Mr. Burnett measured up to the highest standard in this 
great body. He was an untiring worker and allowed noth- 
ing of importance to escape his painstaking attention. He 
was one of the ablest debaters who ever sat in this House. 
He was loyal always to the true principles of his party, 
but never allowed partisanship to supplant his patriotism. 
Few men on either side have ever commanded deeper or 
more genuine respect among the members of the opposing 

[48] 



Address of Mr. Steagall, of Alabama 

party. He sought always to find the truth and to serve his 
country. He was a true representative of all that is best 
in our national life — the highest type of American patriot. 

It was as a member and as chairman of the Committee 
on Immigration that he rendered his greatest service. 
For years and years he fought to arouse public opinion to 
an appreciation of the dangers involved in the admission 
of millions of foreigners unfitted for American citizenship. 
A deep student of this subject, he saw with clear vision 
the wisdom of protecting the Nation against the vast 
hordes of irresponsibles whose presence among us has 
proven so great a menace. The dastardly attempt to ac- 
complish his death by a bomb sent him through the mails 
was in itself a tribute to his patriotic effort to protect the 
Nation against those who would destroy American insti- 
tutions. Could he have had his way, we should not now 
be confronted with the difficult task of dealing with the 
undesirables who have been admitted within our borders. 
He well foresaw and sought industriously to prevent the 
disease that others are now undertaking to cure. Real 
statesman that he was, he grasped the importance of cor- 
recting the evils inherent in our national life and preserv- 
ing an electorate devoted to true Americanism. 

He understood that the real danger to the perpetuity of 
this Republic lies not in the invading army of any possible 
foreign foe; that our safety depends upon our ability to 
preserve the sacred principles and ideals upon which our 
Government was founded, and he knew that these institu- 
tions can never be safe, except in the hands of men 
schooled in our scheme of government and devoted to the 
principles of liberty regulated by law. 

His great work was unfinished, but he won high place in 
the Nation's histo^}^ He has left an impress on legislation 
and public thought that will last through succeeding years. 
He served well his party and his country. He devoted his 

48755—22 i [491 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

life to the uplift of humanity and the betterment of the 
world. He was too reverential and unpretentious to pa- 
rade before men any profession of piety, but if it be true, 
as I devoutly believe, that we reap as we sow, rich, indeed, 
must be his eternal reward ! A good father, a devoted son, 
a faithful husband, an able, courageous statesman, a great 
democrat, an unsullied patriot, a noble, knightly, unselfish 
soul, his death is a loss to his country and the world. 

Mr. Heflin assumed the chair as Speaker pro tempore. 



[50] 



Address of Mr. Steenerson, of Minnesota 

Mr. Speaker : Having served in the House with Mr. Bur- 
nett for nearly 17 years, I necessarily became acquainted 
with him, and I deem it a high privilege to join now in 
paying tribute to his memory. 

When we realize that nine-tenths of the legislation in 
Congress is really nonpartisan, it is easily explained that 
in the course of time men engaged in legislative duties, 
especially those who are active workers, must necessarily 
become pretty well acquainted. I had occasion to appear 
before the two committees of which Mr. Burnett was 
chairman, the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds 
and the Committee on Immigration. All Members, espe- 
cially those from the country districts, like to appear be- 
fore the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds and 
during his chairmanship we always received a courteous 
and considerate hearing. 

I was present at hearings before the Committee on Rules 
on the immigration bill, which he championed; and on 
these and various other occasions I learned to admire him 
greatly. 

As has been said here, few Members on the other side 
enjoyed more friendships on this side of the aisle than he 
did. He was admired for his splendid abilities, and espe- 
cially for his brilliant oratory. It has been pointed out 
here that he was unexcelled in debate under the five- 
minute rule, and that was true. He commanded the art 
of oratory to a high degree, but he never employed it for 
a base purpose. When he played upon the emotions of 
his hearers it was to arouse them to a realization of the 
cause which he sought to further and explain. 

[51] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

There was one characteristic about the man, and I re- 
gard that as the chief distinction of his nature. That was 
his love for the genuine, for the real, and his hatred of 
sham and pretense everywhere. He believed in what he 
advocated, and he advocated it because he believed in it. 
He was not a slave to partisanship. It may be truly said 
of him that he carried his sovereignty under his own hat, 
but so far as it did not conflict with his view of right and 
wrong, of course he was loyal to the party to which he 
belonged. 

Another distinguishing feature of his character was his 
intense love of his country and its institutions. He be- 
lieved in representative government, and he believed that 
representative government implies confidence and faith 
in your fellow men. I often talked with him about this 
question of immigration. He believed that in order to 
preserve our free institutions it was necessary to exclude 
not only the illiterate and defective, but also those, how- 
ever well educated, who professed hostility to all govern- 
ment or to our form of government. Obviously he was 
right. The principles of the Constitution of the United 
States, embodying as they do the best form of representa- 
tive government, have gone forward until they have 
achieved the admiration of the world. 

But that has been possible only because of the character 
of the people of the country. The people must have high 
ideals, must believe in progress and in justice and in law 
and order, and, above all, they must have faith in their 
fellow men, before representative government can be a 
complete success; and because we have had faith, more 
love, and fellowship among our people our Government 
has produced the wonderful results which entitles it to 
the good opinion of the world. A man who professes and 
preaches the doctrine of hate and envy or whose life prin- 
ciple is selfishness and distrust can not become a part of 

[52] 



Address of Mr. Steenerson, of Minnesota 

such a government. The success of repi-esentative institu- 
tions is itself a refutation of the age-old slander that man 
was incapable of self-government. Mr. Burnett, as has 
been so eloquently stated, rendered valuable services in 
the advocacy of stringent immigration policy on the part 
of our Government. There is no doubt but that if his 
views had been listened to and observed and earlier recog- 
nized we would not now have the difficulties that we are 
having as the result of a too liberal and indiscriminate 
policy on this subject. 

Mr. Burnett is dead. His friends shed tears of love at 
his bier. But his works live and will continue to be a 
potent influence for good and the advancement of civiliza- 
tion and the welfare of mankind throughout the world 
forever. 

There is no death — the thing that we call death 
Is but another, sadder name for life, 
Which is itself an insufficient name. 
Faint recognition of that unknown Life — 
That Power whose shadow is the Universe. 



[53] 



Address of Mr. McDuffie, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: I have always heard it said, and I verily 
believe, that " To live in the hearts of those we leave 
behind is not to die." And so, though his flesh and blood 
have passed from his scene of earthly usefulness, the 
spirit and memory of John L. Burnett will remain with 
us throughout our lives. 

Unfortunately for me, and I have always deemed it 
unfortunate, I did not intimately know Mr. Burnett. The 
first and only time I ever saw him was on this floor on 
the 3d of March, 1919, when he invited me to sit by him 
during the closing hours of the Sixtj-^-fifth Congress, and 
the last hours he spent in this Hall. And while my ac- 
quaintance was not intimate, yet I have always known 
him by that reputation he bore in Alabama and in these 
United States as a man, an affectionate father, a tender 
and loving husband, a splendid statesman, and the high- 
est type of American citizen. And, believing so well all 
that has been said of him this day, I am sure that on the 
final day his spirit heard that voice which said : " Well 
done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been 
faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over 
many things. Enter thou into the joys of thy Lord." 

And, while we miss him and mourn his loss, we can 
but find some consolation in the thought of him, that the 
world was made better that he lived in it. I am reminded 
of him when I recall that " he has achieved success who 
has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who 
gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of 
little children; who left the world better than he found 
it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a 

[54] 



Address of Mr. McDuffie, of Alabama 

rescued soul; who always looked for the best in others 
and gave the best he had; whose life was an inspiration, 
and whose memory a benediction." 

A bright, brave memory, his the stainless shield, 

No shame defaces, and no envy mars. 
When our far future's records are unsealed 

His name will shine among the morning stars. 



[55] 



Address of Mr. Rainey, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: It had been my purpose to dwell some- 
what at length on the life, character, and public service of 
my distinguished predecessor, the Hon. John L. Burnett, 
but these have already been gone into fully by many of 
his colleagues who served with him in the House. There- 
fore, Mr. Speaker, I shall content myself with a few brief 
remarks in tribute to the memory of this eminent man. 

He lived a life of intense action — he fought and over- 
came tremendous obstacles. His burning desire was 
achievement in legislation for the protection of his people 
against the flood of undesirable immigration from foreign 
shores. The signal success of this great endeavor is 
marked by his untiring work in committee sessions, the 
stormy battles upon the floor where he stood as the cham- 
pion of the Burnett immigration bill, the final passage of 
that measure over the President's veto, and the ultimate 
writing of that law upon the statute books of the Nation, 
now standing as guard and warden against ignorant, 
criminal, and undesirable immigration. 

It has been my pleasure and privilege to know Mr. 
Burnett intimately for many years. I recall the last con- 
versation I had with him. It was shortly before he passed 
away. When next I saw him he lay in his casket, motion- 
less and still in death. I looked for a while upon those 
well-known features, then I turned and saw the great con- 
course of his friends passing in an almost endless stream 
to gaze for the last time upon their friend. Amid the 
beautiful ritualistic ceremonies of Masonry his earthly 
remains were lowered to their last resting place. 

Mr. Speaker, it has been well said that in the midst of 
life we are in death. The moment we begin to live, that 

[56] 



Address of Mr. Rainey, of Alabama 

moment also we begin to die. Short days ago upon this 
floor you heard the voice and felt the presence of him in 
whose honor and memory we have assembled here to-day. 
Though his lips are sealed in the eternal silence of the 
grave, and he sleeps the last long sleep, yet he still lives 
in the hearts of those who loved and honored him in life, 
and now in death pay tribute to his memory. I speak 
not for myself alone, but I voice the sentiment of the 
people of my district. Through me as their Representa- 
tive they too pay tribute and homage to his memory and 
honor to his name. 

I have known Hon. John L. Burnett from the days of 
my youth. Indeed, he was the first man for whom I ever 
cast a ballot upon attaining my majority. He was the in- 
vincible victor for more than 20 years in every political 
campaign in which he participated in the seventh district 
of Alabama. For more than 20 years he was the standard 
bearer of his party, and never did he permit that standard 
to trail in the dust. As his successor in Congress and as 
his political opponent in two campaigns, I can well say 
of him that in battle he was fearless and valiant, quick to 
repel an assault, strong and aggressive, and yet when the 
contest had concluded he was equally as prompt to forgive 
and forget. For him no scars remained and, like a brave 
warrior, when the battle was over he sheathed the sword. 

It was this magnanimous spirit that contributed to his 
power and aided in maintaining his prestige throughout a 
long and useful career. Born in Alabama, he sleeps be- 
neath the sod of his native State. His feet came to the end 
of life's toilsome journey. He laid down his burden by 
the wayside and, as befalls the common fate of man, suc- 
cumbed to the universal dominion of death. 

In his youth John L. Burnett lived in the days of the 
Civil War. He felt the pangs of poverty, beheld the suf- 
ferings of those he loved, and endured the hardships of 

[57] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

those dark days. To his eternal credit be it said that he 
braved all these, and from a poor plowboy he went into 
the mines as a laborer, then into the schoolroom as a 
teacher, worked his way through the law department of 
Vanderbilt University, gained admission to the bar, and 
soon became recognized as a lawyer. 

John L. Burnett not only rose from obscurity to State 
renown, but ultimately, through his vast work as chair- 
man of the Committee on Immigration, his fame spread 
over the Nation. It is a striking and a tragic thing that in 
life his great ambition was to write upon the statute books 
of the Nation a perfect immigration law and that his fatal 
illness came upon him as he was delivering a speech on 
that subject. He fell in the line of his duty. He died 
bravely in the harness. His work on the great problems 
of immigration stands as a monument to his memory. 
The love and the loyalty enshrined in the hearts of his 
thousands of friends constitute yet another memorial. 
These shall endure during the years to come. His name 
thus engraved, the corrosive hand of time shall not soon 
elTace. 



[58] 



Address of Mr. Almon, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: It would be easy to write a long biography 
or make a lengthy eulogy on the life and character of our 
loved and lamented friend and colleague, Hon. John L. 
Burnett, of Alabama, but to tell the story of a life so full 
of love and loyalty, sacrifice and service, unselfishness and 
devotion to duty in a few words or a few lines, even, is a 
difficult thing to do. 

There is so much of praise and appreciation that could 
be said that I am going to add just a few words to say 
that I, too, loved him and honored him. I regret exceed- 
ingly that it was not my privilege to be present at the 
memorial service which was held for him last Sunday in 
the House of Representatives, to mingle my voice with the 
voices of the men who stood there to pay tribute to the 
memory of this grand and good man; to recount with 
them his splendid attributes, attainments, and achieve- 
ments; to express with them our sorrow, our deep sense 
of loss, and the shock we felt at his sudden death. 

I have read with great interest and intense pride every 
word that was spoken in eulogy of him, and I rejoice in 
knowing that no meed of praise could be too great for him. 

His passing seemed to some of us most untimely, but 
some very wise man has said: " He lives longest and best 
who has acquired and ministered to the greatest number 
of friends and loved ones." Measured by this standard, 
Mr. Burnett had lived long and lived well, for wherever 
he went he gathered around him a host of friends and ad- 
mirers. He was himself a true and faithful friend, a man 
of the highest type, for he was a Christian, a gentleman, a 
statesman, a devoted husband, and loving father. 

[59] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

Every day we miss his cordial greeting, his wise counsel, 
his manly courage, his influence for good in all things, and 
we shall miss him more and more as they days go by. We 
shall always cherish his memory. With bowed heads and 
heavy hearts we reverently say: 

Father, in Thy gracious keeping 
Leave we now Thy servant sleeping. 



[60] 



Address of Mr. Blackmon, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: I presume there was no Member of this 
House who enjoyed a more cordial personal relation than 
that which existed between myself and the late lamented 
Hon. John L. Burnett, to whose memory we are to-day 
paying tribute. I knew Mr. Burnett as a lawyer. He 
possessed all the qualities that go to make a good lawyer. 
I knew him as a Member of Congress, and all who served 
with him are glad to testify to his splendid ability as a 
legislator. In the death of Mr. Burnett the United States 
of America suffered a distinct loss. Mr. Burnett believed 
that in the admission of a certain class of foreigners the 
happiness and welfare of this country was seriously men- 
aced. Those who took an opposite view to him on this 
subject and fought his untiring efforts and energy along 
this line all now agree that he was right. Mr. Burnett 
paved the way for ridding this country of the anarchists, 
Bolsheviks, and the reds. That he could not have lived 
to see the fruits of his untiring labor and energy is to be 
lamented. 

In his private life among his friends he was as gentle 
and lovable as a woman. I shall never forget the many 
kind things he did for me when I first came to Congress. 
It seemed to give him genuine pleasure to give me the 
benefit of his long experience here. He carried me to a 
number of the places in the Capital where it was necessary 
for me to get my different assignments and otherwise 
familiarize myself with the different departments with 
which I had to subsequently deal. It seemed to give him 
a great deal of pleasure to do this, and I was not the only 
beneficiary of the many acts of kindness which Mr. Bur- 
nett extended to the new Member of Congress. 

[61] 



Memorial Addresses; Representative Burnett 

Mr. Burnett was devoted to my children — not only to 
mine, but to all children, in fact I lived with him for 
several years at the Congress Hall Hotel, and " Uncle 
Johnnie," as he was called by my children and the other 
children in the hotel, was loved with that devotion which 
was to me remarkable. On Saturday nights, even after 
he had gone through a strenuous week's work, he would 
give the children concerts, and in that way made hotel life 
to the youngsters worth while. 

It is impossible for one in a short space of time to point 
out the many splendid traits of character which this truly 
great statesman possessed. In his death I lost a real 
friend, his family lost a true and good husband and father, 
and the country lost a statesman of the highest order. 



[62] 



Address of Mb. Dyer, of Missouri 

Mr. Speaker: One of the sad duties devolving upon us 
as Members of Congress is to note the deaths of those 
whom we have learned to love and to respect here as our 
colleagues. 

Our life is but a dream; 

Our time, as a stream 

Glides swiftly away, 

And the fugitive moment 

Refuses to stay. 

The arrow is flown. 
The moments are gone; 
The millennial year 
Rushes on to our view. 
And eternity is here. 

I have been particularly grieved, as I am sure the mem- 
bership generally have been, at the departure of some of 
those whom we esteemed so highly. 

This morning we meet to pay tribute to the memory of 
another splendid, worthy Representative of the great 
South, Congressman Burnett. I also knew him well. I 
had talked with him on many occasions. Our offices in 
the House Office Building were near each other. 

Mr. Burnett was a real gentleman and a real Repre- 
sentative, and to-day as we meet to pay tribute to his 
memory we deeply mourn his loss. This great Republic 
of ours is made up of men of different feelings, different 
aspects, different traits; but as we come together and 
meet here to work for the greatness and glory of our 
country 1 have found but little difference in our com- 
mon desire to serve the Nation as well as the section from 
which we come. Those of us who have had the privilege 

[63] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

of associating with men like Mr. Burnett are proud that 
we have been able to serve with them. Their going is 
our loss. The American people lose greatly when such 
men as these go from public life, but their example en- 
courages us who remain to renew our obligations and to 
be more faithful in the discharge of our public duties. 

In former times the minds of the Members of this body 
were directed to questions that are no longer paramount 
and no longer of great interest. In former days men 
were bitter, but as the years have healed the wounds 
caused by the differences of the past we are all striving 
to be the better and the more worthy Representatives. 
I know that this Congress has not had in it abler or 
better or truer friends of this gi-eat Republic than the 
men whom we meet here to honor to-day, and I wish that 
I were able to express in words what I feel and what I 
am sure the Members of this House feel toward these two 
gallant souls whose lives have gone out forever. 

Humbly I pay tribute to the memory of our colleagues 
who have gone, and I desire to record for the benefit of 
posterity and of the loved ones left behind by this gallant 
man my appreciation of his personal worth and of the 
value of his services to his State and to the Republic. 

And when earth's last picture is painted 

And the tubes are twisted and dried; 
And the oldest colors have faded, 

And the youngest critics have died, 
We shall rest, and faith we shall need it. 

Lie down for an aeon or two, 
'Till the Master of all good painters. 

Shall set us to work anew. 
And those who were good shall be happy; 

They shall sit in a golden chair. 
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas 

With brushes of camel's hair; 



[64] 



Address of Mr. Dyer, of Missouri 



They shall have real saints to draw from — 

Magdalene, Peter, and Paul — 
They shall paint for an age at a sitting 

And never get tired at all; 
And only the Master shall praise us, 

And only the Master shall blame. 
And no one shall work for money, 

And no one shall work for fame. 
But each for the joy of the doing. 

And each in his separate star 
Shall paint the thing as he sees it. 

For the God of things as they are. 

The Speaker pro tempore. In accordance with the reso- 
lution already adopted the House stands adjourned until 
to-morrow at 12 o'clock. 

Accordingly (at 2 o'clock and 50 minutes p. m.) the 
House adjourned until Monday, January 26, 1920, at 12 
o'clock noon. 



48755—22 5 [65] 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 



Monday. May 19. 1919. 

Mr. Bankhead. Mr. President, I send to the desk reso- 
lutions for which I ask immediate consideration. I give 
notice tliat at some future date I shall ask the Senate to 
set apart a time for the purpose of paying tribute to the 
memory of the deceased Representative. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 10) were read, considered by 
unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the 
announcement of the death of Hon. John Lawson Burnett, late a 
Representative from the State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives. 

Mr. Bankhead. As a further mark of respect to the 
memoiy of the deceased Representative, I move that the 
Senate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 12 
o'clock and 50 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Tuesday, May 20, 1919, at 12 o'clock meridian. 

Tuesday, May 20, 1919. 
Mr. Hempstead, the enrolling clerk of the House of 
Representatives, appeared and delivered the following 
message : 

******* 

"Also, that the House communicates to the Senate the 
intelligence of the death of Hon. John Lawson Burnett, 
late a Representative from the State of Alabama, and 
transmits resolutions of the House thereon." 

[6T] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

Monday. January 26, 1920. 
A message from the House of Representatives, by 
D. K. Hempstead, its enrolling clerk, transmitted resolu- 
tions on the life, character, and public services of Hon. 
John L. Burnett, late a Representative from the State of 
Alabama. 

Wednesday, March 2, 1921. 

Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, on account of the recent 
death of one of my colleagues in the House and the fact 
that the resolutions came over from the House at a late 
hour in respect to another colleague who has passed away, 
it is desired at an early date to hold memorial services. 
We are approaching the closing hours of the Congress. 
I ask unanimous consent that a short time may be set 
aside this afternoon to offer resolutions in reference to the 
late John L. Burnett, of Alabama, and that a few short 
speeches may be made. I ask that at 3 o'clock the un- 
finished business may be laid aside for that purpose. It 
will not take long to dispose of it. 

Mr. Poindexter. I have no objection. 

The Vice President. There being no objection, the order 
will be entered. 

Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, the Senate by order has 
set apart the hour of 3 o'clock for eulogies on two late 
Representatives from the State of Alabama, and as that 
hour has about arrived, if there is no objection, I will ask 
that the Senate proceed under that order. 

I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate the resolutions 
of the House of Representatives. 

The Presiding Officer (Mr. Fernald in the chair). The 
Chair lays before the Senate the resolutions of the House 
of Representatives, which will be read. 



[68] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



The reading clerk read the resolutions, as follows : 

In the House of Representatives of the United States, 

January 25, 1920. 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of 
Hon. John L. Burnett, late a Member of this House from the 
State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career, the House, at the conclusion of the exercises of this day, 
shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
family of the deceased. 

Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, I submit the following 
resolutions and ask for their adoption. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 469) were read and considered 
by unanimous consent, as follows: 

Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended, 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of the 
Hon. John L. Burnett, late Member of the House of Representa- 
tives from the State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso- 
lutions to the family of the decedent. 



169] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Underwood, of Alabama 

Mr. President : We stand in the closing hours of a dying 
Congress. The hour is fast approaching when friendships 
of many years' standing must part and go their separate 
ways. We can not but feel in our inner hearts a note of 
sadness as we realize the ties that bound many of us to- 
gether are about to sever, and in this hour we halt the 
column in its march along the legislative highways to re- 
call the memory of our friends and colleagues who served 
loyally with us in life and passed to the great beyond 
witliin the life of this Congress. 

The State of Alabama asks you to halt the legislative 
battle for an hour to do reverence to the memory of two 
of our honored sons, John Lawson Burnett, who was 
elected from the seventh district of Alabama to the Sixty- 
sixth Congress, but died before it convened, and Fred L. 
Blackmon, of the fourth district of Alabama, who served 
until a few weeks ago, when he was called to his fathers. 

John Lawson Burnett was born at Cedar Bluff, Chero- 
kee County, Ala., January 20, 1854. When he was only 4 
years old he lost his father, and his widowed mother had 
three children to care for and the burden of life to face 
unaided. As soon as he was able to do so, Mr. Burnett 
went to work to aid in the support of his mother and two 
brothers. He was not afraid of labor and worked in the 
coal mines and the fields of Alabama, studying at night to 
obtain the rudiments of his education. Finally he was 
able to attend the common schools of Cherokee County, 
and then amassed sufficient funds to carry him to the 
Wesleyan Institute in Georgia, where he received his early 

[71] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Burnett 

education. Finally, after hard work and study, he was 
able to enter the Vanderbilt University, graduated at the 
age of 22, and was admitted to the bar. If there ever was a 
truly self-made man, John L. Burnett was the man, striv- 
ing as he did from his early youth through hardship and 
privation to attain ultimate success. He was an excellent 
and successful lawyer, obtaining prominence among the 
best in his native State. His sterling worth and high 
character were early recognized by his home people, and 
at the age of 30 he was elected to the House of Representa- 
tives in the General Assembly of Alabama, and two years 
later was elected to the State senate, serving in both with 
distinction. Shortly afterwards he was named by the 
Democratic Party as their standard bearer and elected by 
his people as a Member of the Fifty-sixth Congress. He 
was reelected for the 10 succeeding terms and served for 
20 years before his untimely death. During his member- 
ship in the House of Representatives he was recognized 
as a staunch and unyielding Democrat, ably sustaining the 
great principles of his party; but he was more than that: 
He was an American first, last, and all the time, always 
ready to serve and sacrifice for our common country rather 
than yield to the call of political expediency. He was a 
hard and faithful worker in Congress, a student of the 
principles of government, and he never undertook to 
espouse a cause without a thorough understanding of it. 

We who knew John Burnett best loved him for his 
sturdy and rugged character, his honesty of purpose, and 
his faithful friendship. He has gone to the great beyond, 
but his memory will always be cherished by his colleagues. 



[T2] 



Address of Mr. Robinson, of Arkansas 

Mr. President: The Senate has scarcely known a busier 
time than that through which we are now passing. We 
pause in the midst of important duties to pay tribute to 
the memory of two departed friends. Both of them served 
with ability and distinction in the House of Representa- 
tives. 

John L. Burnett, of Alabama, enjoyed the cordial 
friendship of all his associates. He was active, diligent, 
and capable in the performance of his duties as a Repre- 
sentative in Congress. It is seldom that anyone has en- 
joyed a more liberal experience than was the lot of Mr. 
Burnett. Trained in hardships, he proved himself equal 
to every task which he assumed. He was never known to 
betray a friend or to neglect a duty. Mr. Burnett's service 
extended over a period of many years. It was his privi- 
lege as well as his duty to deal with some of the gravest 
problems that have come to Congress during the last 25 
years. I bear witness to the fact that he never failed to 
give careful study to the questions upon which it was his 
duty to reflect, and that he never feared to speak and vote 
as he was prompted to do by a sincere conviction of duty. 

Another Representative from the same State recently 
has been called by death. The Senate honors itself in pay- 
ing just and appropriate tributes to the name and service 
of John L. Burnett. 



48755—22—6 [73] 



Address of Mr. McKellar, ov Tennessee 

Mr. President: When I first came to the House of Rep- 
resentatives, some 10 years ago, one of the strong men 
of that body was John L. Burnett, to whose memory we 
pay tribute to-day. At that time he was chairman of 
the Immigration Committee of the House, and at that 
time the immigration question was probably one of the 
leading questions of the day. An immigration bill pro- 
viding for restriction of immigration by a literacy test 
had been passed by both bodies during President Taft's 
administration, as I I'ecall, and he had vetoed it. Under 
the leadership of Mr. Burnett another bill of similar char- 
acter and having a similar purpose was passed by both 
bodies in Wilson's administration, and vetoed by Presi- 
dent Wilson. The Senate and House overrode the veto 
of President Wilson, and the bill became a law. That 
fight was led by Mr. Burnett in the House of Representa- 
tives in a masterly way. 

He was a forceful speaker. Of the question of immi- 
gration he was a great student. He went to Europe and 
studied the question from that viewpoint as he studied 
it from every viewpoint here, and when he spoke he 
spoke as a man of authority. He was an authority upon 
that great question and did much to solve it. It was 
he who first in an official way brought the dangers of 
unrestricted immigration straight home to the American 
people. The law on that subject that we have recently 
passed is quite largely an outgrowth of his earnest and 
steadfast work on that subject. His work in the House 
was of the most effective kind. His services to his State 
were of the same character. He was a diligent, faithful, 
intelligent, and efficient legislator. 

[74] 



Address of Mr. McKellar, of Tennessee 

Mr. President, Mr. Burnett was a man of the deepest 
conviction of right, a man of the highest purposes, a man 
who was unafraid in the performance of every public 
and private duty. The word " fear " was not known to 
John L. Burnett. His life was an open book. He was 
kindly, genial, and pleasant, especially to the j'ounger and 
newer Members of the House. He was friendly to all; 
esteemed and respected by all for his splendid worth and 
for his many genial and lovable traits of character. 

I know of no man who impressed himself on his fellow 
Members as a more genuine, a more sincere, a more 
honest, or a more upright man than John L. Burnett. 

In every phase of life he took a man's part. A kindly, 
gentle, splendid man he was, and I honor and respect 
his memory. I am glad that the Senate of the United 
States has paused long enough in this busy session to 
permit a tribute to be paid to his life and character. 

Alabama has sustained a great loss in his death. His 
friends miss his kindly fellowship. The House has been 
deprived of an able and splendid Member. 

Mr. President, Alabama has indeed been unfortunate 
lately in the loss of her distinguished sons. Mr. Burnett's 
death was followed by that of Congressman Fred L. 
Blackmon, a Representative from the fourth Alabama 
district. His death was sudden and unexpected. He 
died while away from home. 

Mr. President, I was born in the State of Alabama, in 
the district that was represented in the House of Repre- 
sentatives by Mr. Blackmon for so many years. He lived 
near my home. He was educated by my eldest sister. I 
think the most of the education that he received was 
received at her hands. He was a splendid young boy. 
He was a good student. He had a splendid mind. When 
he arrived at manhood's estate he became a lawyer, 
having received his legal education at the University of 

[75] 



010 536 577 5 



Memorial Addresses: Representative: Burnett 

Alabama. He made a distinguished record there, and 
afterwards at the bar he quickly assumed a commanding 
position. He was successful in all that he attempted. 

Turning to politics while still a young man, he was 
elected to the House of Representatives and was reelected 
five times, his period of service extending over 10 years. 
Popular in his own district, no one could defeat him. 
Though it was frequently tried, he always won by his 
ability, by his geniality, by his honesty and sincerity of 
purpose. 

He did not always agree with probably most of his con- 
stituents; he frequently disagreed with them. I remember 
on the subject of prohibition his views did not accord with 
the majority views of his district, but in that manly, up- 
right, honest, straightforward way of his, he voted his own 
convictions, and the people, while disagreeing with him 
upon that important question, always stood by him. 

I knew him intimately in the House of Representatives. 
I loved him, and I think everyone else who knew him 
loved him — a kindly hearted man, a man of a noble soul, 
a man who had nothing of guile in his nature, a man who 
loved men because they were men, a man in whose word 
every one of his fellows had the most implicit confidence. 
His word was always as good as his bond. He stood high 
in the House. He was a member of the Post Ofiice Com- 
mittee in that body. He took an active and eff'ective inter- 
est in all that came before that committee. He did much 
for roads and much for the building up of all the various 
branches of the Postal Service. I deeply regret his death, 
and shall ever cherish the memory of my departed friend. 



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